BASKETBALL; Liberty Wins on the Road

Crystal Robinson scored 18 points to lead the Liberty to a 65-56 victory over the Mystics today, snapping its nine-game losing streak on the road and eliminating Washington from W.N.B.A. playoff contention.

The Liberty ended the Mystics' 2002 season in the Eastern Conference finals.

''Washington is usually right there making the playoffs, and we're right there,'' Robinson said. ''Both of us are -- or both of us were -- fighting for our lives. We still are, and that just shows the parity in the league.''

The Liberty (12-14) had not won an away game since June 6 at Minnesota.

The Liberty opened a 10-point lead before going 1 for 10 from the field in the last seven and a half minutes of the first half. The Mystics used a 13-2 run to take a 33-31 lead at halftime.

''We were executing beautifully to start the game, and then we turned the ball over 10 times,'' Liberty Coach Richie Adubato said. ''It's been so long since we won on the road that we just wanted the game bad. We were willing to do anything we could to win the game.''

Chamique Holdsclaw, who led Washington (7-21) with 13 points despite shooting 4 of 17 from the floor, helped the Mystics build a 6-point lead. The Liberty missed its first five shots of the second half.